Nets thrilled with Williams

NEW YORK - Marcus Williams tried to look as though the contents of his stomach weren't about to spill onto the table at Madison Square Garden.

But it wasn't easy.

After working out for five teams in the top 10 of Wednesday night's
NBA
draft - Toronto at No. 1, Atlanta at No. 5, Minnesota at No. 6, Boston at No. 7 and Houston at No. 8 - team after team passed on Williams on the biggest night of his life.

Somebody named
Thabo Sefolosha
, a 6-foot-5 guard from Switzerland, was chosen by Philadelphia at No. 13. Somebody else named Oleksiy Pecherov, a 7-0 center from Ukraine, was picked by Washington at No. 18.

Wait a minute, who?

Suddenly, the former UConn point guard was in one of those old-time cartoons. But instead of looking like a lamb chop to the hungry wolf, he was the dented can of soup at the NBA draft.

He was damaged goods.

As the last player from the Green Room sitting with his family, the TV cameras kept turning to Williams every time someone else's name was called. But his expression never changed.

The 6-3 playmaker from Los Angeles did the only thing he could. He put up the brave front with an even braver smile. But nobody was fooled, least of all, the New Jersey Nets.

When it came time for the Nets to pick at No. 22, New Jersey gave Williams a guaranteed, two-year deal to play behind all-star
Jason Kidd
, another California kid who loves to pass the basketball more than anything.

"It was weird, but I mean, things happen," Williams said of his marathon wait. I was prepared for it. I told them, if I'm the last guy out there, so be it."

Despite working out twice for Toronto and Boston, the Raptors and Celtics wanted no part of Williams. He was little more than a smokescreen for the real intentions of Toronto GM Bryan Colangelo and Boston GM Danny Ainge.

In the end, Williams was doomed by the baggage of last summer's laptop thefts and his widely circulated reading of 14-percent body fat.

"Marcus Williams is unquestionably the steal of this draft," Calhoun said Wednesday night in no uncertain terms. "He will have the opportunity to learn from one of the best point guards of all time and eventually be in a position to have Jason Kidd pass him the torch."

The Nets, a perennial playoff team in the Eastern Conference, were shocked that Williams was even available.

"We didn't expect to get Marcus Williams. He fell to us and we're ecstatic," New Jersey GM Ed Stefanski said Wednesday night at the team's draft bunker in East Rutherford, N.J. We had him ranked as the best point guard in this draft by far."

And yet, after dropping from a top-10 prospect to No. 22, Williams lost nearly $1 million in salary next year. Instead of earning anywhere from $1.9 million to $1.6 million as a rookie, Williams will earn just over $900,000 in 2006-07.

Still, the chance to play with Kidd, the chance to reach the playoffs right away, it's hard to imagine a better investment for a young player's NBA career.

The Nets see it the same way.

"We're very happy. We did not expect Marcus Williams to fall to us. We expected him to go higher," Nets president
Rod Thorn
told ESPN on draft night. We were looking for either a point to bring along behind Jason Kidd or we were looking for a shooter.

"Beauty is always in the eye of the beholder. We had him rated very highly. We think he fits right into what we do," Thorn added. We think that he plays a little bit like Jason Kidd. He's terrific in the half court. He's great with the pick and roll. We feel he'll fit right into what we do."

To his credit, Williams didn't bemoan his draft freefall, at least not publicly. He knows the money will be there later. A two-year contract is only his first taste of the NBA.

Besides, Williams will tell you, he's only begun to whet his appetite.

"I'm just happy to be in the situation that I'm in," Williams said. "What I came through last summer, and to now, I think it's just a blessing.

"I think me being here, playing behind one of my favorite point guards and watching him while he was in high school at St. Joe's in California, I just think it's a great situation."

Williams is right, of course.

Maybe he didn't scratch off a winning ticket in the NBA lottery. But he certainly got a golden opportunity.